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Lucidia World — a VR game that delivers a reality indistinguishable from the real world.
Cuisine never tasted before, giants and dragons straight from legend, mysteries lurking behind every plain and ocean.
Choose your role: Archer, Priest, Warrior, Mage… or unearth a hidden class unlisted in the system.
Explore, fight, survive in a world that never stops evolving.
Because in Lucidia, fantasy is reality — and every choice can decide your fate, inside the game and out.
That's what you hear everywhere lately: TV, ads, every street corner.
The world is spellbound.
In less than a year, half the planet's population has logged in.
———
Hyun's body was shaken violently. The darkness gradually receded, replaced by Jinwoo's panicked face.
"Hyun! Hyun-ah! Wake up!"
The voice sounded like it was coming from the far end of a long tunnel. Hyun blinked, his vision struggling to focus. His head throbbed with a splitting headache, and every muscle screamed in protest. It felt like he'd been hit by a truck—several times.
"How... long?" Hyun croaked, his throat parched.
"It's noon! You went in last night and never came out! I almost called the paramedics!" Jinwoo breathed a sigh of relief, but his face was still etched with worry. "Are you okay? You're pale as a ghost."
Hyun tried to stand, but his legs trembled and nearly gave way. Jinwoo quickly steadied him. "The market... I have to get to the market—"
"It's too late for the market," Jinwoo said, his voice soft but firm. "And you forgot? School starts again today. You skipped most of last semester, Hyun. You can't keep doing this."
School. The word felt so trivial and distant compared to the looming shadow of hospital bills. But in Jinwoo's eyes, Hyun saw a rare firmness. He was right—his mother would never accept him sacrificing his education.
The classroom atmosphere felt like a completely different world. Here, the biggest problems were exams and who would win the game tournament. Hyun sat in the back, trying to hide his extreme fatigue.
The conversations around him were almost entirely about one thing: *Lucidia World*.
"This week's tournament prize is 5 million Won! Enough for an epic equipment set!"
"I heard the 'Frost Dragons' guild is scouting the winner!"
"I need to level up fast, I'm only level 8!"
Hyun tried to block out the noise, focusing on his blank notebook. But his ears instinctively filtered for valuable information.
"Hyun-ssi?"
He looked up. Mina was standing near his desk, her expression neutral but not unfriendly. As class president, she always seemed serious and organized.
"You look exhausted," she stated, her eyes observing him carefully. "Are you playing Lucidia too? Many classmates have been complaining about all-night grinding sessions."
Hyun shook his head, avoiding eye contact. "No. I... was just helping my uncle."
"That's a shame," Mina said. Her voice remained flat, but there was a hidden flicker of enthusiasm. "My father, who works as an administrator at Seoul General Hospital, mentioned they're partnering with *Lucidia Corporation* on a neurological research program. They're secretly recruiting talented players through the major tournaments. The compensation is... quite significant."
She pulled a brochure from her bag. "I've reached level 12 as an Archer myself, trying to hit level 15 before this week's tournament. If you're interested, you might give it a try."
The information hit Hyun like a punch to the gut. *Hospital. Research. Money.* Three words that instantly ignited a spark of hope. But he could only nod and pocket the brochure. "Thanks for the info, Mina."
"I hope your mother gets better soon," Mina added in a low voice before turning away. Her final sentence made Hyun startle—he hadn't expected her to know about his family's situation.
After school, Hyun went straight to the hospital. The pungent smell of disinfectant was familiar, but today it felt more acrid.
His mother lay weak on the bed, but at least she was conscious. Her eyes, once so full of life, now looked dim and tired.
"My son," she whispered, her thin hand grasping his. "Don't... don't push yourself too hard. I'm okay."
The lie felt bitter to Hyun's ears. He squeezed her hand tightly, feeling how thin and fragile it had become.
"Mom, promise me," Hyun whispered, his voice trembling but resolute. "I will find a way. Whatever it takes. I will make you completely better."
His mother gave a weak smile, an expression more heartbreaking than tears. "Hyun-ah, all I need is to see you and Sora grow up happy. That's enough."
But for Hyun, it would never be enough. Not while he could still do something.
That night, with more focused determination, Hyun returned to his father's old capsule.
BEEP.
["Welcome back, User #000003. Status: UNBOUND."]
This time, he appeared amidst the bustle of *Starter Village*. The bright blue sky, the enthusiastic clanging from the blacksmith, the scent of freshly baked bread, and the laughter of players—it all formed a living, tempting fantasy world. For a moment, Hyun almost forgot the heavy burdens of the real world.
He opened his inventory. The only item blinking was the sword from the tutorial.
[Novice's Sword (Level 1 - Normal)]
[ATK: +10]
[STR: +1]
[AGI: +1]
Decent for a start. But what made his heart pound were the achievement notifications that suddenly flooded his screen.
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[Achievement Unlocked: First Beta Login in 10 Years!]
[Reward: STR+15,
AGI+15,
LUCK+15,
VIT+15,
INT+15]
[Achievement Unlocked: World First – Classless Tutorial Clear!]
[Reward: STR+18]
[Hidden Quest Complete: The Unbound's Resolve.]
[Reward: ??? – PENDING…]
---
Hyun could hardly believe it. His stats had skyrocketed! He now had base stats equivalent to—even exceeding—a level 5 player! A huge stroke of luck! Maybe fate was finally starting to side with him.
With renewed vigor, he went to the quest board and picked the simplest-looking daily quest: ["Slay 100 Slimes."] Reward: 500 EXP, 100 Gold.
Slimes—those green, translucent creatures considered the weakest monsters in any game. Hyun headed to the field outside the village where dozens of new players were effortlessly slaughtering them.
A Mage blasted three slimes at once with a magnificent [Fireball]. A Warrior finished off a slime with a single, powerful [Power Slash].
Hyun drew his novice sword and approached a slime. He tried to slash it, but the slime nimbly hopped away. Its slippery, elastic body made it difficult for the sword to strike effectively. When he finally managed a hit, the damage was minimal—only about 5-10 damage per slash, while the slime had 100 HP!
It took over a dozen precise slashes to defeat a single slime. And they weren't just stationary—they could jump and slam into him, dealing small but annoying damage.
Two hours passed. Sticky slime residue covered his armor and body. His arms ached, his breath came in pants, and his patience was wearing thin. But finally, the 100th slime burst into green goo.
DING!
[Quest Complete: Slay 100 Slimes!]
[EXP: +500 | Gold: +100]
[Achievement Unlocked: Hit That Mochi!]
[Description: Slay 100 Slimes without using any skills.]
[Reward: ATK+5, INT+3]
Hyun grinned broadly, feeling a sense of accomplishment. But the grin faded as he looked at his EXP bar. With 500 EXP, which should have been enough for several levels, his bar had only filled... 10%? That was impossible!
He looked around. A Warrior player who had been the same level as him earlier was now level 3. Hyun approached him.
"Wow, you leveled up fast," Hyun remarked, trying to hide his confusion.
"Ah, yeah, the daily quest to kill 10 slimes," the player replied cheerfully before running off to his next quest. "Super easy, the EXP is pretty good for a beginner!"
Hyun froze. Kill 10 slimes? His quest was different. He reopened his quest log and noticed the red text he'd missed before:
[Daily Quest (UNBOUND): Slay 100 Slimes.]
[Difficulty: 300% Normal]
[EXP Requirement for Level Up: 1000% Normal]
He wasn't blessed—he was cursed! The high stats were just bait, and he was trapped in a system deliberately designed to hinder his progress! Boiling anger flooded him. Furious, he hit the log out button, leaving the world that had been so cruel to him.
Unbeknownst to Hyun, his exhausting struggle against the slimes had not gone unnoticed—or unrecorded.
———
Lucidia World Forums - Subforum: Starter Village
Post by [ShadowStalker]: VIDEO: Village Idiot or Hidden Genius? Noob Grinds 100 Slimes for 2 Hours with Basic Attacks!**
[A 3-minute video shows Hyun meticulously and diligently slashing slimes one by one, his face full of concentration, while other players flit by with glorious skills. It's clear how much difficulty he has defeating each slime.]
Comments:
> [FireLord99]: LMAO! What is this? Total noob! Wasting his time. 2 hours for 100 slimes? I could do that in 10 minutes with a level 1 [Fireball]! 🤣🤣
> **[ArcherGoddess]:** Omg, I almost feel bad for him... He really doesn't seem to have any skills at all. Should report it to a GM.
>[SlimeResearcher]: Wait a minute guys. That's the "Hit That Mochi" achievement. The clear rate is only 0.001%!. Who is this guy?
> [TheoryCrafter]: @SlimeResearcher Right. And look at his stats at the end of the video when he briefly opens his status. Those aren't level 1 stats! His STR alone is probably 30+. Is this a hidden class? #Conspiracy
> [SilentWatcher]: I've been watching his movements. Check frame 02:15 - he dodges the slime's attack way too efficiently. Not the movement of a normal player. Too precise.
***
Hyun emerged from the capsule, frustrated and exhausted. His efforts were futile. The real world rejected him, the virtual world cursed him. He was trapped in a vicious cycle with no way out.
What he didn't know was that, in a dark, luxurious control room somewhere, a man in his fifties wearing a white lab coat was staring at a screen showing the video of Hyun fighting the slimes. Behind him hung a plaque that read "Dr. Kaito Tanaka - Head of Neuro-VR Research."
He smiled thinly, his eyes gleaming with a mix of admiration and contempt.
"So Lee Joon-ho's son has finally appeared," he whispered to himself, his fingers tapping an old photo on his desk—a picture of him and Hyun's father standing in front of their first VR capsule. "You always said pure control was more important than a skill system, Joon-ho. Look now—your son will either prove that theory, or become its final victim."
He gazed at ID #000003 on the screen. "Grow, boy. Grow within the hardship I designed specifically for you. I will prove that my skill system is superior to your father's antiquated philosophy of 'pure control'."
Dr. Tanaka raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Let's see how far you can go, Son of the Legend."
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—End of Chapter 2—